Cons:

Unlike has-been martial arts man Jeff Speakman, Jason Bourne does in fact appear to be the perfect weapon, and The Bourne Conspiracy is a brilliant showcase for this. Unfortunately, as followers of the feature film series as well as the Robert Ludlum books are already aware, this fact robs him of quite a bit of his humanity. While this isn't fully communicated through the expository cut-scenes in The Bourne Conspiracy, perhaps one of the game's biggest successes is how Jason Bourne's uniquely tragic circumstances are coded in the ways that his scarred and blood-stained fists operate almost outside of his (and, by video game extension, your) control. Of course, it helps that The Bourne Conspiracy delivers a fantastic blend of melee combat, interactive cut-scenes and staggering graphics as well.

Of Fists and Fury

As the bold-faced centerpiece of The Bourne Conspiracy, the taut and intense melee combat does a superb job of tying the whole game together. Combat in Bourne puts an almost oppressive pressure on you due to its penchant for brutal impacts and visceral takedowns. Excellent camera-work and lighting show off the beauty of Bourne's graphics engine as well as the designers' keen grasp of photographic and cinematic composition. Film geeks will also appreciate the game's mindfulness of a cinematic concept called "mise en scène": the ability to assemble a scene or shot that takes in all necessary focal points without drawing too much attention to the fact that it's being done -- or, put simply, a attempt to ensure that everything in its correct place, from a visual standpoint.

This is especially important to the fighting mechanics, because Jason Bourne is capable of weaponizing just about any seemingly-benign item in his local vicinity. Consequently, having this stuff handily scattered about the environment isn't just crucial to winning brawls -- it also provides for some great cinematic fight scenes.

Case in point: a boss battle occurring late in the game is staged in an office, with all of the supplies that you'd expect to see in such a place, like a desk covered in papers, a telephone, a laptop, and other junk. If you work the boss close to the desk, you'll likely be rewarded with a takedown (Bourne's automatic combo attack that results from expending adrenaline by pressing the B button) that involves smashing the dude's head against the desk, which buckles under the force of the collision with his face. That desk will stay bashed up during the rest of the fight -- impressive because it looks good, and because the effects are persistent.

Yet, if you can drag this guy into just the right spot next to the desk, Bourne will pick up a pen and riddle his body with holes, culminating in a punch parried by a pen driven end-wise into the offending boss's knuckles. After suffering a severe beating at the hands of this boss, it is incalculably rewarding to give him a taste of his own medicine in such a vicious fashion.

So, not only does The Bourne Conspiracy grasp of mise en scène contribute to a gorgeous look, it also serves an important function in how you play the game. Over the course of it, you begin to realize that a good portion of your success is tied to controlling the pace and positioning of a fight... a tricky proposition, as Bourne is unable to move much while blocking. Consequently, the depth of the fighting system is revealed as more than the sum of its combos (which are admittedly somewhat limited), but all of this is fairly transparent, so all you'll likely notice is that the fisticuffs in The Bourne Conspiracy are amazingly well-executed and easily its most gratifying aspect.